1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a ruthenium promoted nickel or/and cobalt dehydrogenation-hydrogenation catalyst, its use in organic reactions, and a process performed in its presence. The catalyst may be used to aminate alkylene oxides, hydroxyl containing compounds, such as alcohols, phenols and alkanolamines, aldehydes and ketones.
2. Background of the Art
The catalytic amination of alcohols is a well-known process. By this process alkylene oxides, hydroxyl containing compounds, aldehydes, and ketones can be aminated by reacting said compounds with ammonia, primary amines or secondary amines in a continuous or batchwise process in the presence of hydrogen gas and a hydrogenationdehydrogenation catalyst. All hydrogen atoms on an ammonium or amine nitrogen are potentially replaceable by the alkyl radical of the alkylene oxide, hydroxyl containing compound, aldehyde and ketone, so the reaction product will be a mixture of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines.
When aminating hydroxyl containing compounds, such as ethylene glycols and ethanolamines, not only straight-chain di- and polyamines, but also branched chain polyamines and sixmembered heterocyclic amines, such as piperazine, morpholine, and their derivates, are obtained. The most desirable products in the manufacture of ethylene amines are such containing mainly primary amino groups. Ethylene amines containing tertiary amino groups and heterocyclic rings are of less commercial interest.
Various catalysts have been used to promote the process and most of them are based on nickel and/or cobalt. In order to improve the selectivity in respect to the product mix and to increase the reaction rate, a large number of promotors have been used, such as compounds of copper, magnesium, chromium, iron, and zinc. Among patents describing amination of organic material the U.S. Pat. No. 1,449,423 and the U.S. Pat. No. 2,365,721 may be mentioned. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,184 discloses a nickel and/or cobalt and iron containing catalyst which increases the formation of ethylene diamine and decreases the formation of piperazine. In the U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,598 a Raney nickel catalyst is described, in which catalyst rodium, palladium, or ruthenium supported on carbon is introduced as a cocatalyst. However, this catalyst increases the formation of secondary amine groups at the expense of primary amine groups.